Lindsey Anderson Named New Cross Country Coach
2/28/2022 3:00:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
CSI women’s team won its first national championship in 2021.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri cross country welcomes Lindsey Anderson – the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Coach of the Year – as its new men's and women's head coach, it was announced by head track and field coach Brett Halter on Monday. Anderson will also coach the distance runners during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
Anderson (formerly Olson) is an Olympian (2008 Beijing), an All-American and former collegiate recordholder. She led College of Southern Idaho's women's team to the 2021 NJCAA Division I National Cross Country Championship – the first in school history. Also under her leadership, the men's team placed ninth at the national meet.
"I am so excited for this opportunity to work with the student-athletes and staff at the University of Missouri," Anderson said. "This is a big change for me and my family, but I can't wait to see what we can do at Mizzou. I tell my student-athletes that change is good and being uncomfortable is how we grow. Now is a great time for me to embrace this change, be uncomfortable for a little bit, and see what we can do as a team moving forward."
Anderson comes to Mizzou after five years at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) where both the men's and women's cross country teams placed in the top 10 at the NJCAA National Championships every season of Anderson's tenure. She was the program's architect as it was re-started after a 19-year hiatus.
"While at CSI, I wanted my student-athletes to be successful athletically, but I also want them to feel like they are leaving not just a better athlete, but a better person and having made a difference in making the program better. I hope to continue that culture at Mizzou, as well."
Anderson is a four-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) honoree: National Women's Coach of the Year, West Region Women's Coach of the Year (2020), National Women's Coach of the Year (2018), West Region Men's Coach of the Year (2017).
"Coach Anderson embodies our value system and vision of building champions at Mizzou," head track and field coach Brett Halter said. "Her personal journey is full of grit and determination which has shaped the leader that she is today. We are grateful that we have been able to attract a value-based leader of her caliber and are excited to work alongside her as we continue to work to push our programs to championship levels."
The 2020 season was one of CSI's strongest as the men's squad earned a runner-up finish at the national meet, the highest finish in program history. The women's squad was third, its most successful finish prior to the 2021 NJCAA title. Seven student-athletes earned NJCAA All-America honors.
Prior to her revival of the CSI programs, Anderson was an assistant coach at Cal-State Bakersfield from 2014-16. She was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Weber State University, from 2007-14. She contributed to recruiting and training many of the program's top student-athletes including three-time All-American and two-time school-record holder Amber Henry and 2018 Boston Marathon runner-up Sarah (Callister) Sellers.
As a Division I student-athlete at Weber State, Anderson finished her career as a two-time All-American in the 3000m steeplechase and the indoor 5K. She set school records in the 3000m steeplechase and 10K during the outdoor season and in the indoor 5K. She was the Big Sky Conference Women's Athlete MVP twice and left Weber State a seven-time Big Sky Conference Champion in multiple distance events. She also held the collegiate record in the 3000m steeplechase.
During the 2007-09 professional cycle, representing Nike, Anderson competed in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2007 World Championships (Osaka, Japan), the 2008 Olympics (Beijing), and the 2009 World Championships (Berlin, Germany). Most recently, she qualified for and competed in the 2020 Olympics Marathon Trial in Atlanta, Ga., finishing in the top 10 percent.
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